Dr. Marvin Clothier, DDS 
611 North Broadway Suite B
Pittsburg, KS 66762
(620)231-4140

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Posts for: June, 2013

By Smile Solutions
June 19, 2013
Category: Oral Health
BadBreathmdashSufferNoMore

While most people can expect to have a temporary case of bad breath after eating spiced foods like garlic, smoking, drinking coffee or wine, odor that persists and becomes chronic is not something to take lightly. We can help diagnose the underlying cause of your bad breath, making both you and the people around you much happier!

Chronic bad breath, also known as “halitosis,” affects about 25% of Americans to some extent. Treating the condition effectively requires a thorough oral examination to uncover the source of the odor. Although some forms of bad breath can be caused by medical conditions like diabetes, lung infections, even kidney failure and cancer, between 85% and 90% of cases originate in the mouth. There are more than 600 types of bacteria found in the average mouth and, given the right (or, should we say, wrong) oral environment, dozens of these bacteria can produce foul odors including a “rotten egg” smell from the production of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs).

Some of the oral causes of bad breath include:

  • Naturally occurring bacteria found on the back of the tongue that thrive on food deposits, dead skin cells and post nasal drip (Yuck!);
  • Dry mouth, after sleeping, especially when an individual breathes through his or her mouth;
  • Unclean dentures;
  • Decaying or abscessed teeth;
  • Diseased gums; and
  • Infected tonsils.

Once the exact origin of the odor has been determined, we can tell you what form of treatment you'll need to successfully banish the bad breath for good. If your problem is merely the result of poor oral hygiene you can play a large role in turning your situation around. In any case, treatments for mouth-related halitosis can include:

  • A careful, at-home plaque control routine using dental floss and a special toothbrush designed to clean between teeth — nobody really knows how to properly clean without professional instruction;
  • In-office and at-home tongue cleaning using a tongue scraper or brush;
  • Instruction on how to properly clean your dentures;
  • To treat underlying gum disease, periodontal therapy in the form of a deep cleaning, also known as scaling or root planing; and
  • Extraction of wisdom teeth that exhibit debris-trapping gum tissue traps.

So if you are ready to toss your breath mints away and pursue a more permanent solution to rectify your mouth odor, call our office today to schedule an appointment. For more information about the causes of bad breath, read the Dear Doctor magazine article “Bad Breath: More Than Just Embarrassing.”


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